Text 5839, 216 rader
Skriven 2006-08-08 07:32:00 av Robert E Starr JR (6336.babylon5)
Ärende: Falling Toward Apotheosis
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"Apotheosis" means "rising to divine status; deification." Indeed,
godhood (or rather, the perception of godhood) is the central theme of
this episode, another riveting installment in possibly the tensest,
most exciting run of episodes the series has seen to date.
THE PLOT
The Vorlons continue their campaign, methodically destroying every
planet in their path that has been touched by the Shadows. Several
planets take in refugees, those who managed to escape the destroyed
worlds... but some of those planets, too, are targeted by the Vorlons,
leaving no safe place for anyone.
In the wake of the Vorlons' insane actions, Sheridan decides that it
is time that the Vorlon Ambassador (Kosh 2/Ulkesh) is expelled from the
station. As long as the Vorlons have a presence on Babylon 5, it will
be impossible to plan strategies to deal with them. They realize, of
course, that Ulkesh will not leave just because they ask him to. So
Sheridan has to come up with another way to deal with the Vorlon.
"We've got to take him out," he announces, "any way we can!"
Meanwhile, Garibaldi continues to be troubled by Sheridan's new
mentor, Lorien. His paranoia is enhanced by Sheridan's growing,
near-messianic stature among the people on the station. Crowds
literally part and grow still when Sheridan so much as walks down the
Zocalo. Even more troubling to Garibaldi is the captain's strategic
decision to no longer include him in his plans.
Finally, back on Centauri Prime, Londo learns that of the Vorlons'
current actions. Knowing that he has approximately seven days before
the Vorlons reach the Centauri Homeworld, Londo decides to accelerate
his plans for Cartagia's "removal," shrewdly playing on Cartagia's
own dreams of godhood.
THE GOOD
As I mentioned in this review's introduction, the first main theme of
this episode has to do with godhood. There are no gods in "Babylon 5,"
of course. There are, however, several beings being raised to the
status of gods at this point in the arc. Cartagia has secured the
Shadows' promise that he will be a living god. Sheridan is being
treated as something close to a god by the ordinary people on the
station. And the Vorlons, who had previously cast themselves in the
role of angels to the younger races, have now given themselves the
rights of gods: destroying entire civilizations, not even concerned
with the lesser beings they are killing in their zeal to eradicate the
Shadows. All of them would-be gods... all of them (save Sheridan) quite
insane.
The Vorlons and Cartagia are quite mad, of course. They are invested in
their godhood; they believe in their own godhood. They are, as the
title of the old "M*A*S*H" episode went, "bananas, crackers, and nuts,"
and they might be pathetic if they weren't so incredibly powerful.
So why does Sheridan escape the curse of insanity that plagues the
episode's other "gods?" Well, a lot has to do with his reaction to
his ascension. Cartagia has made a deal with the Shadows to take
godhood onto himself. The Vorlons are seizing the power of gods. Both
are claiming the right to be gods for themselves.
Sheridan is not. His perhaps hastily-chosen words on his return in "The
Summoning," telling the other races to take his very presence as proof
that they could stand against the Shadows, very likely accelerated the
processed. But Sheridan does not want to play God. Look at one of the
episode's opening scenes. The panicking crowd stills and parts at
Sheridan's mere presence. The young woman he helps looks at him with
pure, religious awe. Whispers of, "Is that him?"
Now look at Sheridan's reaction. He is incredibly uncomfortable with
this. The crowd is thrusting him into the role of a messiah, but it is
not a role that Sheridan wants. When Lorien tells Sheridan that the
people "need to believe," Sheridan's response is: "Not in me!" He
knows that, mystical return from the dead or no, he is just a man. He
certainly wants the people to believe in his cause; he does not want
them to believe in him, at least not as anything other than a leader.
This is because Sheridan is sane. But if godhood is the primary theme
running through the episode, then the secondary theme is insanity. The
episode ties the two themes inextricably together. In their willful
destruction of planets, indiscriminate of civilian cost, the Vorlons -
self-anointed angels of heaven - prove their own insanity. Ironically
for beings claiming to stand for order, they are now the ones spreading
chaos. We can see this. It's evident in Ivanova's broadcasts -
which tilt on the edge of panic. It's visible in the stampeding
crowds at the episode's start. It's tangible in the climactic
battle-to-the-death between the Vorlon ambassador and the forces led by
Sheridan and Delenn.
The allies that the Vorlons have declared "irrelevant" are now battling
their former benefactors for sheer self-preservation. Alliances
dissolve; chaos is the inevitable result. In their determination to
make their belief in Order the only surviving belief, the Vorlons are
perpetuating more chaos than the Shadows managed to do in the entire
first three seasons put together. Of course, the Vorlons cannot
recognize this. They are mad; by definition, the mad do not recognize
rational truths.
Both the Vorlons and Cartagia are prepared to sacrifice the people they
are meant to be protecting for their own glory, simply because they
have come to regard themselves as superior to those people. Upon
hearing that a mere human is carrying Kosh's essence, Ulkesh snarls
that this is "intolerable!" Upon considering that all Centauri Prime
will be a funeral pyre to light the way for his ascension to godhood,
Cartagia reflects that "anyone who comes after (him) will be inferior"
anyway, concluding that by leaving Centauri Prime to its destruction,
he will be doing the Centauri a favor. After all, it would be better
for the entire planet to die than to be forced to go on without
Cartagia's divine magnificence.
Though Sheridan is still sane, insanity touches those close to him,
too. Obviously, even Sheridan knows that nothing good can come of
elevating a mere man to this level (a theme sadly left mostly
unexplored, probably due to the rushed nature of this season). The real
effect that we see is the reaction it creates from Garibaldi. We saw in
the last episode that the security chief was edgier than usual. In this
episode, that edginess begins to tilt toward outright paranoia.
The thing is, everything about this situation can only feed that
paranoia. The reactions of the crowds to Sheridan's return from the
dead... Sheridan's entirely unexplained "new best friend," who is
always by his side, and about whom none of the command staff know
anything... his own inability to remember what happened to him... even
had he been left entirely unaltered, any of these things on their own
would have bothered the old Garibaldi. He's asking questions that are
perfectly reasonable ones to ask. It's not the fact that Garibaldi is
wary that alerts us to a "wrongness" in him; it's the surly,
belligerent manner in which he expresses that wariness. This is
Garibaldi, his reactions are entirely in keeping with his character -
but it's Garibaldi without the easygoing humor of the previous three
seasons. This is the part of himself Garibaldi feared when he told
Delenn that "sometimes I'm afraid what I might do."
I've noted in past reviews many parallels between characters and
themes. Another parallel really struck me watching the scene in
Garibaldi's quarters, in which Zack arrives to let him know he'll
be able to return to work after one more check-up. Garibaldi and Zack
are a dead parallel to Londo and Vir. Like Vir, Zack is unquestioningly
loyal and supportive of his mentor. Like Vir, he's not blind to
Garibaldi's faults. The scene between the two men in Garibaldi's
quarters shows this. Zack is well aware that Garibaldi is being just a
bit too angry, snarling just a bit too much. There's one, beautiful
moment in the scene where Zack gives Garibaldi a look that seems to say
Zack doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the chief's
over-the-top surliness. At that moment, Garibaldi catches himself and
even gives a half-smile that's reminiscent of his previous self. Zack
has faith in Garibaldi's ultimate goodness, just as Vir has faith
that Londo "will surprise" the Babylon 5 staff someday... and it's
clear that the part of the old Garibaldi that remains beneath the
paranoia recognizes that, and responds well to it. At this point,
Zack's solid faith may be the closest thing to a lifeline that
Garibaldi has.
It must be said that Garibaldi does come through when it's needed, in
this episode. He complains about his assignment to face down Ulkesh
(and I don't blame him). But he doesn't do so in front of the
guards he takes with him. He also remains loyal to his men. When Ulkesh
lashes out at them, Garibaldi is the last man out the door, helping
those men who have fallen to get out to safety. Whatever has been done
to him, his courage remains intact.
Finally, the episode's ending scene must be noted. The final scene of
the episode sees Londo miss another chance at redemption as he fails to
save G'Kar's eye. He is clearly given the chance. Cartagia
doesn't like how G'Kar is looking at him, but he does not instantly
demand G'Kar's eye be taken. Instead, the Emperor asks Londo what
should be done. Londo, too preoccupied with his planet's plight and
his own desperate plans to save it to recognize the moment, declines to
give an opinion and leaves. Only then does Cartagia come up with his
inspiration.
As always with Cartagia, this gruesome act is a matter of whim. When
the Centauri guards ask him which eye to take, he doesn't really
care. He's given his order; the whim has passed as quickly as the
words have passed his lips.
Making the scene even more disturbing is the final shot. Knowing what
is to happen to G'Kar, we see the guards closing in on him. The
camera pulls back slowly. Then, before any violence is actually shown,
the door closes. We are allowed to let that closed door sink in, our
imaginations filling in the scene that must be taking place on the
other side of that door. As with the electro-whip scene in "The
Summoning," what we don't see and are left to imagine is more
horrific than anything we do see. And our imaginations are left to work
on that closed door for an extended beat before, finally - and ever so
slowly - the episode fades out.
THE BAD
Not with the episode itself - but yet another reason to ignore
"Personal Agendas." There, Garibaldi was fully acting as Security
Chief. Here, he's not yet been cleared to return to active duty,
having to pass yet more tests by Dr. Franklin (and he wasn't even
wounded in "Personal Agendas," so it would be difficult to explain away
the discrepancy).
Come to think of it, that also should go under "The Good." It's yet
another reason why that dreadful novel can be fully and completely
discounted.
My Final Rating: 10/10. This is probably the most intense sustained run
of episodes yet.
--- SBBSecho 2.11-Win32
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